Hard Questions: Age of the Earth

NASA photo - The earth in darkness.

The age of the earth has been controversial and poses hard questions for scientists and Christians alike.

I have dedicated many hundreds of hours to the subject, and I have looked at evidence on both sides of the equation.  Religious leaders differ on the subject as do scientists.  Young-earth proponents have been accused of "pseudo-science" and, in some cases, they have been guilty.  Old-earth proponents have been accused of circular arguments and over-reliance upon "assumptions".  Also true in some cases.

Young-earth vs. old-earth theory

I originally accepted the young-earth theory, until I found some evidence for older earth that squared more elegantly with my understanding of scriptures.  Interpreting a "day" in Genesis as an epoch gets you very close to the accepted scientific view of the creation of the earth following the big bang.  If you  add time-dilation to the equation, the results are startling.  The first chapter of Genesis implies that at least some life came from the sea, just as evolutionists suppose.

However, some data I recently discovered, including evidence weakening of the earth's electromagnetic field, and the process of tree formation, have led me to question old-earth theory.  So I am in "limbo" for the moment.

For the record, as a Christian, and a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, niether of the two theories poses any threat to my belief. My interest in the study is to discover how God created the earth, not whether or not He did it.  Along the way, I've encountered some "hard questions".  To me, they are the most exciting.  In science, it is always the anomalies, the out-layers, and the seemingly impossible puzzles that hold the keys to the greatest discovery.

I am contemplating a series of articles on these issues.  Hope you enjoy the journey.